Status of French R and D for advanced light water reactors

Present PWRs lead to a significant reduction of electricity cost when compared to other sources. Then it seems reasonable to keep the main features of PWRs when looking for improvements of investment cost, of operating and fuel costs, of flexibility and of safety. Besides that we have to think about uranium conservation; if nuclear starts again in many countries, as we hope, the uranium market could get into a crisis during the first half of the 21st century, and uranium shortage could become a reality. Advanced PWRs are also aimed at fissile material saving. The three French partners CEA, EdF and FRAMATOME decided to lead a three year programme 1984-1987. FRAMATOME in fact had started a little bit earlier, namely in 1982 (first publication in RNG - a French technical journal) and developed the RCVS, spectral shift convertible reactor core (for both Uranium and Plutonium fuel). FRAMATOME's effort is estimated to about 40.106 FF per year. EdF, R and D Division, is associated with this feasibility study. CEA performs an R and D programme, the objectives of which are: to support FRAMATOME for RCVS design; to explore a wider range of parameters in order to estimate the feasibility and the interest of tight lattice PWR cores. Simultaneously, EdF is defining the preliminary specifications of ''REP 2000'' (future standard for French PWRs in the year 2000 and following); the objectives of REP 2000 are: load follow capacity; cost effectiveness; operation flexibility. FRAMATOME's RCVS and the CEA RSM feasibility study have to be considered in this context. The main objectives are: 1) To improve performances, safety and to minimise cost; 2) To save fissile materials according to a global strategy; 3) While minimum modifications of present PWR components will be accepted. The R and D budget for PWRs (outside safety) of French CEA is around 450 106FF per year. Among this, 40 106FF/year are devoted to tight lattice core feasibility studies (period 1984-1987). 3 figs